Selected Off-the-cuff Comments at the Celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Cambodian Veterans Day [Unofficial Translation]

Losses of Gen. Meas Kroach, Four Cambodian UN Peacekeepers in CAR

… With our joy in celebrating the Veterans Day, we are sad over the losses of General Meas Kroach, who had been one important contributor in the liberation of our people from the regime of Pol Pot’s genocide. I met General Meas Kroach in November 1977 … Together we built an army of 23 battalions and 100 armed operation groups for national liberation. Last year, General Meas Kroach was with us on this day for this event. Today he is with us no more. We all express condolences over the loss of a comrade in arms and thank him for the contribution he made in this just course from beginning to his life’s end.

We also have another loss yesterday. The information came to us about Cambodian UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) – firstly we only lost one life. As of now, it is clear that the three unaccounted in the attack incident also died. Cambodian peacekeepers lost their lives under the flagship of the United Nations humanitarian mission in CAR. Captains Im Sam, Seang Norint, Mom Tola and Mao Eng had lost their lives in the attacks by rebels. One other captain had wounded his left arm. It is a loss of our army and people. I invite you all to stand up and express condolences for the souls of General Meas Kroach and our heroic soldiers who lost their lives yesterday.

Search for Facebook Page Owner Long Dimanche

In this sad development, on behalf of the Royal Government, as President of the Veterans Association, and my own behalf, I am sharing grieves of the bereaved families. Along with this, I am calling on owner of the Long Dimanche Facebook Page to remove his posting (that our soldiers were beheaded) immediately. The posting does damage to the honour of our army. I am ordering the Ministry of Interior to investigate the case … such posting is no less than declaring war with the whole army.

We would not forgive such terrorist act that killed our compatriots and soldiers working on foreign soil. We continue to fight terrorism but such fabricated posting could be held responsible. The person who does this would be forgiven if he removes the posting. If he is a member of political party, his intention of doing so could bring on his party question about their intention and the party could be seen as enemy of the armed forces. I am calling for an investigation and in case it was a naïve mistake, Long Dimanche must remove the content from his page.

Calling for a Review of UN’s CAR Troops Arrangement

For such loss, we are calling on the UN general staff operating in CAR to review their troops and improve security arrangement as such shortcomings would cause danger to peacekeepers. The Moroccan UN peacekeepers (responsible in providing armed protection) suffered injuries and went missing in the attack. The Cambodian UN peacekeepers dead bodies discovered about two Kilometres away from the attack place. The rebels could have arrested and taken them away before killing and burying them.

I think we will dispatch a team from the Ministry of National Defence to CAR to look into troop arrangement […] We do not blame the UN general staff work but we are calling on a review of UN troop arrangement in CAR to avoid such sad incident. The Cambodian troops are not fighting force. We are doing engineering works – demining and building roads. I am calling on a review on this matter. We may ask to see the planning and arrangement of troops and security. Many of us here have gone through many fights so we know something about this. As a member of the United Nations, we have rights to give our opinion […]

Cambodia to Continue to Engage in Peacekeeping Operations

It is part of our responsibility for what had happened. I hope that Cambodian UN peacekeepers in CAR or Mali, South Sudan, Lebanon, etc. would not find this a shock. They should know that 15 million Cambodian people, 110,000-men armed forces and 60,000-men police force are with them and ready to continue this peacekeeping operation. We have our troops and new equipments ready. We are also preparing troop shifting. We do not backtrack […] I am taking this moment to affirm to the United Nations that Cambodia will make further efforts to send more peacekeeping troops to help our friends. We do not bend because of such attack […]

We are sad for the loss but we are proud too that Cambodia, standing up after liberating itself from the regime of genocide, has done a great deal of works to prevent the return of the regime of genocide, to honour internal peace through implementation of the win-win policy bringing complete end to the war […]

Unifying the Country

Our soldiers and veterans sacrificed their flesh and blood for our motherland. Our efforts bring tremendous achievements for the country. Some insulted us and coloured us to whatever picture they like even they know that our sacrifices saved them and their families. They dare not say about this just course of national liberation that brought the country a real peace. In its past, Cambodia was a divided country with many pockets of controls by various war factions and armed forces … we had worked hard to bring the country a unification under one Constitution, one King, one Royal Government, and armed forces.

It was not a joke and we earned it not because of deity or gift from any country. UNTAC (United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia) spent 2 billion USD in its role to keep peace in Cambodia and to bring about reconciliation of the three waring factions, and to organize elections. However, UNTAC left Cambodia with two governments and two controlled areas from 1993 through to 1998 …

The win-win policy that we set out brought us complete peace, reconciliation and independence, for the first time in hundreds of years of history if we counted from the reign of HM the King Srey Raja in 1470. Cambodia was in constant conflict and division. Factions coloured one another as red, pink, white or blue, and those belong to the government. In 1970 and 1975, Cambodia divided into two controlled areas and governed by two factions. We fought not only in our country but also in the international arenas and United Nations, where Lon Nol, who launched the coup against Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk, with support of the US, occupied the Cambodian seat at the United Nations and others […]

CPP Builds Peace and Development

We have done so many works. We hope that we will continue to do more. We have done many things together and shared times with each other in difficult time. The Cambodian People’s Party has been the only party that builds and brings about current development. Many other political parties had the past sought to destroy the people’s rebirth after the liberation from the regime of Pol Pot. In the course of building our nation, some have opted to seek foreign countries to cease their assistances, investments, and even to cancel their purchase orders in/to Cambodia. That our workers have jobs and income in the present is not because the efforts made by the opposition party. The opposition party campaigned in many countries, even Europe, to cancel purchase orders of apparels from Cambodia. We understand that should the Cambodian People’s Party make no efforts and discontinue its power, danger is coming again.

When we increase salary for our civil servants, the armed forces, and they may watch again footage of National Assembly session on Budget Law, they did not vote in support of it. Now, they tell people that (the Royal Government) increased salary for civil servants and the armed forces because they had demanded it. They did not even vote to support the budget law, which earmarked 50% of its current expenditure used for on salary of civil servants, armed forces and retirees. Was this their demands? I am stealing the spotlight of this forum to campaign but I have to speak out the truth […] they even tried to prevent the Consultative Group Meeting (on Cambodia) from giving assistance. They later demanded to the European Community not to place purchasing orders from Cambodia. Their actions did nothing but to cause trouble to our workers and their families in rural Cambodia. Was that how they want their people to get jobs?

War Would Arise

Nowadays, whoever love and/or vote for the Cambodian People’s Party, they are named foreign puppets and traitors. It is an act of insult on the overwhelming majority of people voted for the Cambodian People’s Party. Winning the elections, we gave them the freedom of actions according to Cambodian laws. However, that they colour this or that, insult and many other unconstructive actions, we may ask what exactly are they doing? Should the Cambodian People’s Party be in negligence, war would arise. Look, we hailed the victories of sports medallists like Sorn Sievmey, Ouk Srey Mom, etc. but they never do so […]

They would not congratulate them because doing so would be equal to praise the Cambodian People’s Party. One may ask if this silence is an act of national reconciliation. On the contrary, whenever they found something negative, they would trumpet it immediately. Would this be a nature of political party or individual responsible in national reconciliation? […] With such gestures, would it be possible to work together […] People should think about these actions. There is no politics in sports […]

Voting CPP for Peace and Achievements

No matter what they have in mind, they should also see bridges across the rivers in the time of Techo leadership. Electricity, roads, water canals, etc. (are also making statements). We still need more but at least this is how much we have achieved from the time that we were barehanded and the city had dwellers. Phnom Penh now is in traffic congestions. I hope that our people understand and see that as pride of our veterans and disable soldiers as well as our civil servant retirees who had made efforts altogether in the past 38 years. It is on this note that we must at all costs protect what we have achieved and in order to protect those achievements, the Cambodian People’s Party needs to be winner in every election.

You may remember what happened on 28 July. The elections results were yet to come out, how many cars were on fire at Stoeng Meanjei. They have acted in many places and caused frustration for people going to vote. We did not take any measures then. We were patient. However, in the forthcoming elections in 2017 and 2018, should there be such actions, the armed forces will take measures … We would not allow you to destroy public property anymore. That they had not won the elections but they cause havoc to augment their demands […]

Information Technology System Used in Paying Checks

We are making further efforts through the various platforms. The national fund for social security must work it out how to speed their work up […] HE Vorng Soth about the fact that once it is completed, veterans, disable soldiers and retirees will cash their salaries from ATM close to their place of residences. This is state reform. As of present, civil servants are using banking system to receive their pays, while the amount of salary has increased as well. We have almost completed with in the national police force. We have largely done it in the army. We have used information technology to speed up reform in the salary system. We no longer have to load up cash in trucks and send to provinces or military region anymore. We have achieved these because of the leadership of the CPP-led Royal Government.

Social Land Concession for Veterans and Disable Soldiers

I am insisting continuation of inspection and provision of social land concession for our people, expect those living in Kandal and Phnom Penh, where there is no land to give out. In other provinces, where land is available, veterans and disable soldiers must have access to them. I thank our development partners for providing assistance in various forms such as prosthetic arms or limbs, physical rehabilitation, vocational training for our veterans and disable soldiers. I thank generous people in the country for setting some of their resources to help disable soldiers in the construction of their homes. At times of need, like border conflict, we also saw that our people shared whatever they had with our soldiers. This clearly indicates that the Cambodian army is of the people, from the people and for the people […]

Correct Policies Leads to WEF on ASEAN

People’s peaceful life comes from sweat and blood of the veterans and soldiers who stand guarding the country at every point. They do so for the sake of your peaceful life. Please do not give them any contempt. (People exercised policies of) demagogy and parasite are not choices for country leadership, or even provincial and/or district levels […] we have this World Economic Forum (on ASEAN) starting tomorrow in Cambodia. Today, the Prime Minister of Laos will arrive. I will have a meeting with him. I will then proceed to meet on with other delegations after the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). President of the Philippines will arrive later tonight and then the Vietnamese Prime Minister. Many dignitaries are coming to Cambodia. Some 800 investors from the US, Europe and Asia are here. It is an honour for Cambodia, after recovering from destructions, to host such important forum, to participate in taking up roles in the framework of the United Nations, and in the region.

It is not accidental. They all happened because of the correct domestic and foreign policies of the Cambodia People’s Party. We hosted ASEAN Summit and related summits twice. Was that not something to be proud of for our veterans and soldiers? Is it not the pride of Cambodia, especially for those who voted for the Cambodian People’s Party? Let us hold it tight in our hands, keep up with the pride we have and make further efforts to stand up from destruction to become a country that is at full peace, has no secession, realized 7.7% economic growth in the last 20 years, and will achieve another 7% growth this year and year to come. Salary of the army and police forces, civil servants will improve and we do so not at the demand of the oppositions./.